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Many U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) cost centers and employees may become involved in emergency assistance and response activities related to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.  The costs incurred are expected to be significant both to contain the spill and then address the environmental damage.  While USGS organizations will likely be called upon to participate in various activities related to this catastrophe, there is no guarantee of supplemental funding to support these costs and the bureau may need to fund these additional costs within existing resources.  However, in anticipation that the costs the Bureaus incur may be reimbursed by the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund administered by the U.S. Coast Guard's National Pollution Fund Center, the Department has asked the Bureaus to track these costs.  

We may be asked to provide assistance on a reimbursable basis to those agencies that have already received funds.  It is very important that we separately capture and track all costs incurred for this event in order to justify any claim for reimbursement.  We know from experience that we will need to report our expenditures to a variety of entities with oversight responsibilities, including the Department of the Interior, Office of Management and Budget, the government-wide Inspectors General Council, the General Accountability Office, and the Congress.   Therefore, the following guidance must be used by all Cost Centers that have response and/or assistance related work associated with oil spill.  If you have any questions regarding this guidance, please contact your servicing Branch of Fiscal Services; additionally, Sonya Jones, Multi-Hazards Project Coordinator, is the designated scientist with overall responsibility for the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill 2010.

 Emergency Spending Without a Supplemental Appropriation

• One new project has been established in BASIS+ to capture costs.
• Project Number 1612E7P
• Title:  Deepwater Horizon (B/P) Oil Spill 2010
• Task 1:  Response Coordination
• Task 2:  Geospatial Information
• Task 3:  Wildlife Health
• Task 4:  Coastal Wetlands
• Task 5:  Coastal and Marine
• Task 6:  Water Quality
• Task 7:  Communications

Account Structure Guidance

• A cost center parent account must be established in BASIS+.  Sub-accounts may be used but only as they relate to the parent account assigned to each task.
• For appropriated, use fund code SIRTD.
• For reimbursable, follow normal procedures for assigning fund code.
• Charge full burden unless some specific language is attached to the funds that are received.
• On the account screen in BASIS+, use the IT/JPA code BP1.

The account numbering schemes for work performed under these projects follows:

Parent Account Number XXXX-E7P10 – Task 1 – Response Coordination

Parent Account Number XXXX-E7P20 – Task 2 – Geospatial Information

Parent Account Number XXXX-E7P30 – Task 3 – Wildlife Health

Parent Account Number XXXX-E7P40 – Task 4 – Coastal Wetlands

Parent Account Number XXXX-E7P50 – Task 5 – Coastal and Marine

Parent Account Number XXXX-E7P60 – Task 6 – Water Quality

Parent Account Number XXXX-E7P70 – Task 7 – Communications

These accounts should be established in Quicktime immediately and used for tracking all hours and salary cost.

If you have any questions regarding the policy and guidelines above, please contact your servicing Fiscal Services Chief.  

____Kelly L. Bradley______________________     _                        Date:  May 6, 2010

for Karen D. Baker
Associate Director for Administrative Policy and Services

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